Machine for pressing smock-type garments

ABSTRACT

THE PRESSING MACHINE IS ULTIZED FOR PRESSING SMOCKTYPE GARMENTS SUCH AS DOCTOR UNIFORMS, NURSE UNIFORMS AND THE LIKE. THE MACHINE HAS A ROTATABLE HORIZONTAL DRUM WITH CLIPS MOUNTED AT EVENLY SPACED INTERVALS TO RECEIVE THE GARMENTS. THE GARMENTS ARE ATTACHED TO THE DRUM AT THE FRONT OF THE MACHINE AND THEN THE DRUM IS STEPWISE ROTATED TO CONVEY THE ATTACHED GARMENT OVER THE TOP OF THE DURM TO A PRESSING STATION. A FLEXIBLE CHEST IS MOUNTED AT THE PRESENTING STATION FOR MOVING AGAINST THE DRUM TO PRESS THE GARMENT.

1971 J. N. M MILLAN MACHINE FOR PRESSING SMOCK-TYPE GARMENT S 2 Sheets-Shoot 1 Filed April 5, 1970 IN VIL'NTOR.

M m. .H 1. m M M N WY United States Patent O 3,619,919 MACHINE FOR PRESSING SMOCK-TYPE GARMENTS Jerry N. McMillan, P.0. Box 167, Colville, Wash. 99114 Filed Apr. 3, 1970, Ser. No. 25,390 Int. Cl. D06f 63/00, 65/06 US. CI. 38-61 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to garment pressing machine and more particularly to machines for pressing smock-type garments. This invention provides a low cost machine for use in laundry and dry cleaning establishments capable of efliciently and efliectively heat pressing one garment spaced from the operator while a second garment is being mounted on the machine by the operator.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The machine according to this invention includes a padded horizontal drum that is rotatably mounted on the machine having a heated peripheral surface of sufficient size to receive two or more garments without overlapping. Clamping elements are mounted on the drum at spaced intervals for attaching the garments to the padded surface. The drum is stepwise rotated by an intermittent drive means to convey the attached garments from a mounting station up over the drum to a pressing station and then under the drum back to the mounting station. A heated chest is located at the pressing station partly encircling the drum. The chest has a pressing surface of sufficient area to entirely embrace at least one of the garments. An actuation means that is responsive to the conveyance of the garment to the pressing station moves the pressing surface against the padded drum surface to press a garment therebetween.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a smock-type garment;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a machine which incorporates the principal features of this invention showing a smocktype garment mounted to a rotatable drum;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the machine illustrated in FIG. 2 showing a flexible heated chest for pressing a garment on the drum;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged cross-sectional view showing the chest and drum in cross section pressing a garment therebetween and illustrating how the drum and chest are heated; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 4 illustrating clamping elements for mounting the garments onto the drum.

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The present machine is concerned with pressing a smock-type garment 10 that has a tubular torso or body section 11. The garment has a shoulder section 14 with arm segments 15 and 16 extending outward therefrom. The garment has a neck opening 13. Frequently the gar ment has a front or back opening 12. Garments of this type are generally used by doctors, dentists and nurses as uniforms. For purpose of description, the distance from the top of the shoulder section 14 to the bottom of the body section 11 is shown as distance A and the distance between the ends of the arm segments 15 and 16 is shown as distance B.

A pressing machine 20 is illustrated in FIG. 2 for pressing such a garment. Pressing machine 20 has a general frame 21 with an enclosure 22. A front opening 23 is formed in the front of the machine. Side braces 24 and 25 extend upward from the base of the frame for supporting bearings 27 and 28.

A rotatable drum 30 is mounted on the frame for rotation in the bearings 27 and 28 about a substantially horizontal axis. The drum 30 has a thickness of padding 31 formed on the outside thereof to define a cylindrical peripheral pressing surface 32 for receiving the garments. An inlet steam line 33 extends through the bearing 27 to the interior of the drum and an outlet steam line 34 extends from the drum through the bearing 28. A steam coil 35 (FIG. 4) is mounted on the inside of the drum for heating the drum to provide a heated pressing surface 32.

Clips 38 are mounted on the drum as shown in FIG. 5 at evenly spaced intervals about the drum for attaching garments securely to the surface 32. Clips 38 are designed to remain substantially flush with the pressing surface 32 and securely hold the garment between the clip and the pressing surface 32. As shown in FIG. 2, the upper edge of the shoulder and arm sections are slipped under the clips with the bottom of the garment extending downwardly.

An indexing drive means 40 is mounted on the machine for stepwise rotating the drum 30 between a mounting and dismounting station 44 near the front of the machine at the opening 23 to a pressing station 45 near the upper rear part of the machine. The drive means 40 includes a motor 41 with a chain 42 extending therefrom to a sprocket 43 mounted on the drum shaft. A foot pedal 46 is provided to enable the operator to activate the drive means to intermittently rotate the drum in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 3.

In this particular embodiment, the pressing surface 32 is of suflicient area to receive at least two garments thereon at one time without overlapping. The circumference of the pressing surface 32 is greater than twice the distance A and the width of the pressing surface 32 is greater than the distance B so that the garments can be readily mounted on the drum as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 without overlapping. The clips 38 are mounted at degree intervals. Each time the foot pedal 46 is operated the drive means rotates the drum 180 degrees to convey a mounted garment up over the drum to the pressing station 45 and to convey a pressed garment down under the drum to the mounting and dismounting station 44.

A flexible sheet metal chest 50 is mounted on the machine at the pressing station 45. The chest 50 is formed in the shape of a cylindrical segment which has an inner curved pressing surface 51 that partially encircles the drum in an arcuate segment somewhat less than 180 degrees (FIG. 3). The curved pressing surface 51 has a curved length and a width that are greater than distances A and B respectively to entirely embrace one garment during each pressing cycle. It has been found that a stainless steel sheet of 14 gauge material is satisfactory for use in making the chest. It is quite flexible.

Brackets 53 and 54 are mounted on the back of the sheet metal chest along its end edges. Fluid operated actuators 55 and 56 are mounted on the frame and extend to and are connected with the brackets 53 and 54 respectively, supporting and moving the chest 50 to and from the drum. The actuators 55 and 56 are mounted in such a manner as to direct forces at the edges of the sheet metal chest which are substantially tangential to the drum to wrap the chest about the drum to conform the surface 51 to the contour of the surface 32 to obtain maximum surface contact and heat transfer.

A fluid operated bellows 57 (FIG. 3) is mounted on the frame and connected to the back of the pressing chest 50 for moving a central part of the chest to and from the drum.

The sheet metal chest 50 is heated by a steam coil 60 mounted on the back of the sheet metal chest as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. A sheet metal guide 63 is mounted on the frame along the underside of the drum for guiding the garments as they move from the pressing station back to the mounting station. The sheet metal guide has a flared section 64 at the front to provide a tray to support the bottom of the garment as the garment is being mounted on the drum as shown in FIG. 3.

An exhaust fan 67 is mounted on the frame for drawing air through the front opening 23 to the interior and out through the fan to keep the operator relatively cool. At this point it should be noted that the heated chest 50 is near the back of the machine spaced from the operator so that the operator will not become burned or subjected to discomforting temperatures.

As a safety measure, a safety bar 70 is mounted along the top of the opening 23 for stopping the operation of the drum should the safety bar become deflected by the operator. Such a feature prevents the operator from injuring a limb should her hand become entangled with the garment.

A very important feature of the machine is the specific structure of the steam coil 60 in heating the flexible chest 50. Although heated flexible chests are not new in themselves; reference British Patents 968,7l; 873,881; and 992,432 and U.S. Pat. 3,191,325; it has heretofore been practically impossible to provide such a chest that could be effectively heated and still have substantial flexibility. It should be noted that chest 50 is a single sheet that is highly flexible. Aluminum heat transfer elements 72 are aflfixed to the back of the chest 50 at spaced intervals with the elements 72 being parallel to the axis of the drum 30. The chest is highly flexible between the elements 72. Each of the elements 72 has a curved contact surface 73 to match the curved surface of the back of the chest 50. Each element 72 extends across the full Width of the chest. Longitudinal apertures 74 are formed in the element to receive and communicate steam from one end to the other. Flexible steam hoses 75 interconnect the ends of the apertures to pass the steam from one element to another in a serpentine fashion to heat the entire chest.

During the operation of the machine, the operator mounts one garment on the drum at the mounting station 44 with the upper portion of the garment secured to the drum by the clips 38. The operator then activates the clutch to rotate the drum in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 3 to convey the garment up over the drum to the pressing station. As the drum rotates, the operator smoothes out the garment on the drum surface. It should be noted that the garment remains unwrinkled on the drum because of gravity and friction 4 with the padded surfaces. When the garment reaches the pressing station, the indexing drive means automatically stops the drum. In response to the stopping of the rotation, the actuators 55 and 56 and the bellows 57 are activated to move the chest against the drum to press the garment.

While the garment at the pressing station is being pressed, a second garment is being mounted at the mounting station 44. At the completion of the pressing, the clutch is again engaged to rotate the drum degrees to return the pressed garment under the drum to the mounting station where it is removed. The second garment is conveyed up over the drum for pressing. As the pressed garment moves under the drum, the guide 63 prevents the bottom of the garment from falling to the bottom of the machine.

This embodiment was chosen in order to best explain the principles of this invention and its application to practical use to enable others to best utilize the invention and devise various embodiments and modifications as are best adopted to the particular use contemplated. However such description is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment shown. Only the following claims are intended to define the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for pressing smock-type garments comprising:

a frame;

a padded drum mounted on the frame for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis, said drum having a heated peripheral surface with a circumference and width suflicient to receive two or more garments at one time without overlapping;

releasable means mounted at spaced intervals on the drum adapted to connect the garment to the peripheral surface;

intermittent drive means operatively connected to the drum for stepwise rotating the drum to convey the attached garment from a mounting and dismounting station to a pressing station and back again;

a heated chest mounted on the frame at the pressing station partially encircling the drum, said chest having a pressing surface of sufiicient area to entirely embrace one of the garments; and

means operatively connected to the heating chest for moving the pressing surface against the peripheral surface to press at least one garment at the pressing station.

2. A pressing machine as defined in claim 1 wherein the mounting station is located near the front of the machine and the pressing station is located near the rear of the machine and wherein the intermittent drive means rotates the drum to convey the garment from the front of the machine over the top of the drum to the pressing station.

3. A pressing machine as defined in claim 1 wherein the heated chest is flexible to adjust to the contour of the peripheral surface to uniformly press a garment.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,191,325 6/1965 Jack 3856 2,652,644 9/1953 Howlett 3854 3,393,463 7/1968 Kemp 38--56 FOREIGN PATENTS 873,881 8/1961 Great Britain 3856 968,710 9/1964 Great Britain 38-56 992,432 5/1965 Great Britain 38-56 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner 

